Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Unlock Your Heart

By Momma2Fan

Chapter 05:

Bella strolled into the dining room to find it glowing softly in candlelight. She gasped when she realized what this meant. She felt the sweat break out across the back of her neck, and tried to swallow past the lump forming in her throat. She stepped further into the room, and found Edward standing at the side of the table with a small smile playing on his lips.

“Edward, what is all this?” she asked, although she already knew the answer.

Edward moved, and was standing beside her in three long strides. “I told you, I need to talk to you about something important, and I thought we could have some dinner while we talked.” He led her to a chair, pulled it out, and helped her get seated.

Bella nervously picked up her wine glass and took a large gulp, causing Edward to chuckle. “Relax, Bella, it’s just me. We’ve known each other our whole lives.”

“I know, it’s just this whole set up…” Bella waved her hand at the romantic setting surrounding her. “Are you trying to seduce me, Edward?”

Edward had just taken a sip of his own wine, and began to cough roughly. “Um…” he looked away, unable to say anything. “What would you say if I was?”

Bella paled; Alice was right. “Oh, Edward,” she lay her head in her hands.

Suddenly, Edward was kneeling in front of her. “Bella, think about it. Who knows you better than I do? I mean, besides Alice and Rose?”

Bella looked up at him. “Garrett…”

“Bella, he’s your brother. I can pretty much guarantee he doesn’t know you like I do.” He grinned at her. “Listen, let’s just eat and talk okay?”

Bella slowly nodded her head, and they settled in to their meal. The cook the Cullens kept on staff had prepared a good feast. There was rack of lamb, new potatoes and baby peas. She had also prepared an herb crusted bread. It was delicious.

“Bella, you know the real reason I was engaged to Jessica, right?” Edward asked out of the blue.

“Alice said Carlisle was trying to force you to get married…something about providing an heir to the family.”

Edward chuckled, but was also a little pissed off at his sister. He thought perhaps that was why she was so nervous. Alice! “Bella, what exactly did Alice tell you?”

Bella sighed before wiping her mouth and placing her napkin on the table. She knew she had two choices: tell him exactly what Alice had told her about his feelings, or play dumb and make something up. She turned her head and looked at her oldest friend. Edward had been in her life ever since she could remember; she would hate to lose him over misinformation.

“Bella?” Edward prompted.

“Sorry…” Bella broke from her thoughts and came to a decision. “Edward, I need to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth.” At his nod, she continued. “Um…do you have feelings for me? I mean, other than familial and friendship feelings?”

Edward felt his heart jump in his throat. He blushed and ducked his head, not able to meet her eyes. He heard her sharp intake of breath and immediately looked up. “Bella, I…”

“Don’t, Edward.” Bella stopped him. She couldn’t believe it was true. “H…how long?”

Edward ran his hand through his hair in a nervous gesture. “I don’t know. I can’t remember not loving you. At first, it was in the same way I love Alice, but it changed. I think it was the summer you turned fifteen.” He looked into her warm, brown eyes. “Do you remember the summer we spent at the cabin? It was the first year the ‘rents didn’t come with us.”

Bella nodded, “Yes. You, Em, Jasper and Gar were all eighteen. I was about a month from my fifteenth birthday…always the baby. Alice and Rose had already had their birthdays, and Mom and Dad thought it would be okay to let us go without them as long as the four of you kept an eye on us.”

Bella ran down the steps toward the lake, and then down the edge of the dock. She hated being treated like a baby. Rose was waltzing around in a barely-there bikini, showing off her new curves, and catching Emmett’s eye. Alice was skipping around happily, because Jasper had noticed her that summer as well.

Bella was running away from it all. She sat down at the end of the dock and let her feet dangle in the water. She hated that things were changing. Soon everything would be different. She had always known who her father and surrogate Uncle were.

Charlie Swan and Carlisle Cullen were the bosses of the family—a crime family. They ran guns and drugs, and washed the money clean through various businesses they were silent owners of. She also knew that Jasper would be heading off to college, and then law school, so he could be the consigliere when Edward was handed the reins.

“Bella, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing. Go away and leave me alone, Edward.”

Edward sat beside her on the dock, and stuck his feet in the water with hers. “Come on, don’t be like that. Talk to me.”

Bella sighed. “This is the last summer before everything changes. I hate change, and right now, I hate your sister and Rosalie, too.”

“Why, what did they do?” Edward was shocked.

“Don’t you see them in there prancing around like hussies? Rose is barely dressed, and keeps throwing herself at your brother. Alice is all over Jazz, like he’s glue or something. I mean, I get it, I like boys, too, but these guys are like brothers to us.”

“But, Bella, we’re not your brothers. Things change, little one. You have to roll with the punches or you’ll get rolled over.”

“I hate change.”

“You were so mad that Em and Jazz were paying attention to the girls you didn’t even see the way I was looking at you. Garrett saw it.”

Bella snapped her head up, “What?”

“Oh, yeah. Garrett caught me watching you, and informed me I had to wait until I not only talked to your dad, but you were eighteen. By the time you were old enough, you were glued to Newton.”

Bella sighed. “Edward, I wish you would have said something.”

“Would it have mattered? Come on, Bella, I know you don’t love me…at least not the way I love you. So would it have made a difference if I had said anything?” Edward looked into her eyes, hoping to find something in them that wouldn’t crush him.

Bella wanted to say something but couldn’t. The love and pain that was radiating in his emerald eyes broke her, and she stood and ran from the room as Edward’s voice called after her. She shut and locked her bedroom door, flinging herself on her bed as her tears rolled down her cheeks.

**UYH**

“FUCK!” Edward roared.

He slammed into his office and headed straight to his liquor cabinet, pouring himself three fingers of brandy and downing it like it was water. That had not gone at all like he had expected or hoped.

He sank down on the couch in his office and poured himself another drink as he thought about when his feelings for Bella had changed.

Edward watched Bella run from the house and down to the dock, her long hair flying behind her, and wondered when she became so beautiful. He shook his head to shake off those thoughts. She was like his sister and only fourteen.

“Eddie, go talk to her man; she’s pissed at us because we noticed the girls,” Emmett said from behind him.

“Alright. Tell Jazz to keep his dick out of Alice. She’s still too young,” Edward commented on his way out the door.

Edward shook off the memory and stood up. He set down his glass, grabbed a jacket, and tore out of the house to his car, racing to his club. After he parked, he strolled in and went straight to his office. He hadn’t even been there for ten minutes when Tanya strolled in.

“Hey, Baby. You look like you need to relax,” she purred.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to maintain his composure. “Get the fuck out, Tanya. I didn’t call for you or any other form of entertainment.” The last thing he wanted was to have someone lips wrapped around his cock…especially after the disaster of a conversation he’d just had.

“Oh, come on, Eddie. I’ll make you feel really good.” Tanya tripped her way across the room as she spoke.

Edward’s eyes flashed up. “Are you fucking high? You can’t even walk.” He stood up, grabbed her roughly by the chin, and jerked her face until he could see her eyes. Her pupils were so large her eyes were almost black. “Dammit!” He jerked her around by her arm and slammed her into a chair.

“Ow, Eddie; you’re hurting me.” Tanya reached up to rub her arm.

“I don’t give a fuck!” He walked around his desk and called down to the front. “Get up here and get this whore to detox.”

“Eddie, I…” Tanya stood and swayed on her feet.

“Shut the fuck up, Tanya. I’ve told you about doing drugs in my place. I’m done telling you now. You’re fired. Get out and get clean. Think about your kids. Fuck!”

He didn’t need this shit. He had had a rough night, and thought escaping from home by coming to the club would make him feel better. It didn’t. After they had picked up Tanya, he got back in his car and headed home. He opened the front door, crossed the threshold, and turned and locked it. When he moved to head up the stairs, he looked up and saw Bella at the top.

“Hey,” she whispered.

“Hey.” He watched as she licked her lip and felt a tightening in his pants at the sight of her pink tongue wetting her luscious lip.

“Can we talk?”